Page 6

Grave leaned against one of the bookshelves, his arms folded and looking utterly bored. Naomi sat on the sofa. She lit up at the sight of me and wore a tailored black dress, her blonde hair flowing down her back. Naomi had clung to me after our mother had died.

Even though she was my favorite sibling, I couldn't bring myself to get close. There was no point. Someone else was bound to die here, and I wasn’t about to walk that path again. Even if I wanted that with my sister, I wasn’t decent enough to deserve it, so I kept my distance.

That didn’t prevent Naomi from being overly affectionate though, and I knew just by her expression now that she was eager to hear whatever drama our father was about to reveal.

“You know where we have to be in three hours, don’t you?” Father asked, pinning me with a glare. He gave me a once-over with a pinch of disgust then quickly said, “Nevermind. Sutton Hale will be at the gala tonight. She won’t be leaving with her family, so you are to keep an eye on her.”

I schooled my expression even though my nerves burned at the sound of her name. Father threw annual galas at our mansion—his way of keeping track of the families and departments in his grasp. The ones he’d let go of over the years as he waited for their usefulness to return. They showed their faces and remained accessible. A soft leash.

No one left the Crimson Crowes.

Not for long, anyway.

But as I recalled what my captive had just told me, curiosity drummed between my ears. I sank into the leather chair across from him. “The bounty had come for Sutton, not for one of the Crowes. Is this about the price on her head?”

Naomi glided over and dropped into the chair beside mine. “Do we finally get the Hale girl? Oh this is going to be fun.”

Father glared at Naomi who then snapped her mouth shut. “Yes, actually. Which is why I wanted to talk to you all, but Manic specifically.” He lit a cigar and puffed on it, casually leaning back. “I know we’ve had an agreement with the Hales for them to lie low for a while, but the Russians placed a price on Sutton recently. I reached out to the Volkovs, and due to our aligned agreements, I accepted the contract to kidnap her for the time being.”

The fucking Volkovs. “Meaning?”

“You struck a deal with the Volkovs?” Grave scowled.

“Those Russian pricks are in our territory again?” Naomi asked, mirroring Grave’s disapproval.

“We want the Hales back in business,” Father explained, ignoring their comments, “and this is our chance to make it happen.”

“What was the agreement?” Naomi asked.

Father sighed. “The Russian ports are being watched by another cartel. If we give them our port access to the casinos, they’re willing to trade territory. Maybe even help take out those Irish buying up all the land. Luka is still wary, though. I need him to be compliant, so Manic is to take Sutton during the party tonight. Alive. We’re only keeping her until Luka agrees to open the ports and move their weapons from the cartel, then we’ll release her back to her parents. Grave, I want you to help.”

The Irish had been a constant thorn in our sides for the last few months. Even though Father had done his best to prevent it, they’d been weaseling their way into the city council, buying up land, and placing new businesses along the coast. They’d even stolen a few of our shipments, causing a full-blown war among the mafia. They typically set fires or blew up whatever was left of our crates. The Russians and the Crowes had owned most of Vancouver until recently, and it was throwing everything off.

“And what am I to do?” Naomi huffed.

“Be there and look pretty,” Grave retorted. “And maybe keep your legs closed for once. If I have to kill one more person because of you, I’m going to force you to eat their fingers.”

“Says the one who can’t keep his dick away from that lawyer,” she threw back.

Their voices rose as insults pinged between them.

I ground my teeth, my knuckles white on the arms of my chair, and masked my annoyance. Their bickering got on my fucking nerves, but I hated last minute plans more, and now I was ordered to kidnap the one person I’d been following for the last five years. The one person my family did not know I was following. I was sure if Father did, he’d let the Russians have her, and knowing that pissed me off.

But the Crimson Crowes’ rules had always been simple: we go after direct threats to our organization. We offer security to the elite willing to pay our price. We launder, manipulate, coerce, and import weapons; but women and children were typically off limits. Until now.

Unfortunately, I was pretty sure I already knew which Russian had placed that price on Sutton. Dmitri had gotten a good look at her a few years ago, though any Russian who crossed into our territory without permission and tried to follow her got their hands shipped back to him by me. I often wondered if Dmitri would ever be foolish enough to come after her himself.

“And what am I to do with her, hm?” I pointed out. “I can’t keep her tied up in a warehouse or in one of the clubs until Luka complies. That could take months.”

Luka would hold off, even if his daughter was taken and used for coercion, considering her capture was always on the table. He knew the risks, and he’d refrained to inform Sutton like all the other families had with theirs. Her mother even knew. Perhaps Luka’s fear of my father kept him silent. Still, I wondered if he would comply with my father’s demands for Sutton’s safety.

“I don’t care what you do with her—fuck her, beat her, drug her.” Another careless wave of his hand. “Make her your whore if you want, but keep her alive. I have a feeling this will take awhile.”

Grave chuckled. Naomi’s lip curled, but she remained silent. Mother would’ve disapproved of this, but I couldn’t bring myself to care at the moment. I merely blinked at his blatant words.

One thing was certain—Sutton was no whore. She was as simple as they got. Boring, even.

I’d only taken interest because she’d kept my mind off things, and watching her settled something restless inside me. I’d met her at our mansion a few years ago and quickly became obsessed with knowing what mundane tasks she had on her schedule day after day.